Jul 09, 2024 17:00:00

What would happen if you shot down a delivery drone?

In recent years, companies such as Amazon, Alphabet's drone company

Wing , and Walmart have launched delivery services using drones. However, as drone delivery services expand in scale, there are growing concerns that drones could be shot down by malicious actors.

What happens if you shoot down a delivery drone? | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/07/what-happens-if-you-shoot-down-a-delivery-drone/

Florida man shot Walmart drone he thought was 'watching him'

https://nypost.com/2024/07/02/us-news/florida-man-shot-walmart-drone-with-9mm-because-he-thought-it-was-watching-him/

Incidents of delivery drones being shot down are already a reality: on June 26, 2024, a Walmart delivery drone was shot down with a 9mm pistol in Clermont, Florida.

Dennis Wynn, who was arrested for shooting down the drone, stated that he 'tried to chase away the drone because it was monitoring his house' and 'this is not the first time a drone has flown over or around my house.' According to a Walmart representative, the drone was conducting a delivery demonstration at the time of the incident.

Wynn was charged with discharging a firearm in a public place and causing damages exceeding $1,000, and Walmart is seeking $2,500 in damages from Wynn.

About 32% of American adults report owning a firearm, and as drone delivery services expand, the risk of them being shot down increases.

Following the drone shooting incident in Arkansas in 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has

explained its legal interpretation of shooting down drones. The law ' Sabotage of Aircraft (18 USC 32)' prohibits 'the wanton destruction of an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, or a civil aircraft used or operated in interstate, foreign, or foreign air commerce,' and 18 USC 32 also includes a provision that 'makes it a federal crime to commit an act of violence against any person on board an aircraft, not just the crew, if such an act is likely to endanger the safety of the aircraft.' The FAA claims that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including drones, fall under this provision.

In other words, shooting down a drone is a serious violation of 18 USC 32. However, at the time of writing, there is no specific law in place regarding shooting down drones.

However, TechCrunch reports that, 'As drone delivery services expand in the US, the law on shooting down drones may become clearer. Specifically, shooting down a drone could be punishable by not only damages but also fines and even prison time.'